Book Depository Blog

Each Monday, here on Editor's Corner, I run through the latest issue of the Bookseller magazine and pick out the bits and pieces of book industry news that catch my eye.

This quick round-up of book stuff is mainly culled from the Bookseller website:

Abu Dhabi fair looks to increase attendance: "Organisers of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) are planning additional professional programmes and enticements to attract more international publishers to future fairs..."

Agents and publishers grapple over 'enhanced' e-book rights: "Enhanced e-books, which offer multimedia content such as video, are emerging as a new right in the marketplace, with publishers and agents tussling over who should own them..."

Deal agreed over Watkins Books: "Watkins Books has been saved by American entrepreneur, Etan Ilfeld, just two weeks before the business was due to be liquidated..."

Books etc website to relaunch 'next week': "The Books etc website, which went offline days after its launch last month, is due to go back online next week. A note on its website said the site would be running again during the week commencing 15th March..."

Conference concern over campus booksellers: "Publishers and retailers should work together against excess discounting, in a bid to improve the perceived value of books, delegates at this week's ASP (academic, professional and specialist booksellers) conference heard..."

Hachette's profit up 24% in 2009, US arm races ahead of UK: "Hachette made a profit of €301m in 2009, up 24% on 2008, according to full-year figures released by its French parent Lagardere. But the figures also revealed that Hachette's UK and Australian businesses' share of group sales fell from 21% in 2008 to 19% in 2009, with sales from the US wing now making up 25% of turnover. The group added that Hachette US' digital sales were 3% of full-year sales in the US, €17m..."

Barnsley hails World Book Day 'boost': "World Book Day has 'given a great boost to the market', its chair Victoria Barnsley has said. Her view was backed by booksellers spoken to by The Bookseller with many saying there had been an uplift in customers thanks to the annual promotion..."

Academic publishers seeing strong growth from e-book sales: "Nearly 90% of commmercial academic publishers have seen growth in e-book sales over the past two years, according to a cross-sector survey released today (10th March) by the Association of Learned Professional and Scholarly Publishers. Growth in some cases was more than 1,000%, with e-book sales now almost 10% of total book sales of the publishers surveyed..."